Golf bag



- Jan. 24, 1939.

1 .R. BURTON GOLFYBAG Filed Dec. 1, 193 7 '3 Sheets-Sheet l ISnventor JAMES R- BURTON vfi attorneys J. R. BURTON 2,144,791

GOLF BAG Filed Dec. 1, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 24, 1939.

JAMES R.DUR'T'0N Zhwemor Gttomegs GOLF BAG Filed Dec. 1, 1937 3 Sheets-Shee'i 3 A Fi 8 Snventor JAMES R. BURTON i M k I 7 ttornegs Patented Jan. 24, 1939 UNITED STATES GOLF BAG James R. Burton, Jasper, Ala., assignor to Burton Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Alabama Application December 1, 1937, Serial No. 177,519

8 Claims.

My invention relates to an improvement in golf bags and is particularly concerned with the design and manner of attachment of a hood for the protection of clubs from the weather, while in use, and during shipment.

My invention is characterized by the formation of the hood of separate detached sides which are mounted on opposite sides of the golf bag and are adapted to be folded so as to expose only their finished surface.

My invention is further characterized by folding the separate hood members both transversely and longitudinally and providing snap fasteners to hold them thus folded in compact form.

My invention is further characterized by so designing and mounting the folded hood members that they will hang above and clear the standard pockets on the bag and be in position to be embraced by the usual umbrella and sweater strap which serves to hold them in close and inconspicuous relation to the bag sides.

My invention is further characterized by the stitching of each hood member longitudinally thereof to form stiffening beads and to define the fold line for the side flaps, these beads acting to stiffen the hood so that it will tend to stand erect and better enable the front side flaps of the assembled hood sides to be folded in to form an open hood which will afford protection overhead for the clubs while leaving them exposed for convenient insertion and removal from the bag.

My invention further contemplates that the hood sides can be readily engaged and fastened together in assembled relationship by the use of marginal interlocking the fastener elements, the sides being so mounted and shaped that they can be interlocked without interfering with the sling strap connections or any top fitting on the bag.

My invention further comprises the novel details of construction and arrangements of parts which are hereinafter more particularly described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which I have illustrated only the preferred embodiment of my invention.

As illustrated in the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a golf bag showing my hood elements disconnected and folded in the position they normally assume on the bag.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view in side elevation of Fig. l with the lower portion of the bag broken away.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation, corresponding to Fig. 2 but on a somewhat reduced scale, showing the hood in service position.

Fig. 4 is a view corresponding to Fig. 2, showing one of the hood sides hanging open with its front side flap opened out and with its top cover flap opened up.

Fig. 5 is a rear view enlarged of Fig. 3 showing the hood in service position.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a hood side taken on the line VI-VI of Fig. 4.

Fig. '7 is a perspective view looking from the side at the front of the bag with the hood raised and its front flaps folded in so as to leave the clubs protected overhead and yet exposed.

Fig. 8 is a view corresponding to Fig. 2 of a modification of my invention in which the top cover flap is omitted and snap fasteners provided to hold the hood side in folded idle position.

Fig. 9 is a front elevation of Fig. 8 broken away on one side to illustrate the top snap fasteners for the hood sides. 7

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

I have illustrated my invention in connection with a standard type of golf bag [0, of oval or oblong cross section, having the usual sloped top cuff H with a sling strap loop l2 suitably attached thereto. The customary carrying strap I3 is shown attached to the loop I2 and made fast below to a buckle I 4 secured by the strap loop l5. The bag has the usual type of handle l6 and a coat or'towel strap I! that surrounds the bag opposite the handle 16. It is also provided with the usual side pocket l8, back pocket IS, a strap 20 looped across the cuff opening to provide a separator-for the clubs, and a front ring 2| to which the hood lock slide is adapted to be secured by a pad lock, or the like. All of the parts as thus far described are of standard construction and constitutes merely a conventional setting for my invention which will now be described. 1

I form the hood of separate detached sides which are similar except that they are cut right and left hand, and therefore the description of one side will apply to both.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and '7, each hood side is formed of leather, or other suitable material, mounted with its undressed surface facing outward from the side of the bag when the side hangs as shown in Fig. 4. Each side comprises a relatively narrowtop flap 22 adapted to be fitted in under its respectiveside of the cuff II and under a cover flap 23 also inserted under the cuff and all fastened in place by the cuff stitching-24. The cover flap 23 is out wider than the hood flap 22,.as will appear more clearly in Fig. 4. The edge of the hood side towards the front of the bag is cut outwardly at the base of the flap 22 in a plane at right angles to the vertical center line of the hood side to form the straight, horizontal top edge of its front flap 25 that is separated from the body of the hood side by the provision of a stiffening bead 26, formed by drawing the stock into a bight and sewing it transversely with a line of stitching 21, as illustrated more clearly in Fig. 6. This stitching terminates short of the rounded lower end 28 of the front flap 25.

The rear edge of the hood side is cut away from the base of the flap 22 to provide a downwardly outwardly curving edge 29 which forms the top edge of the back flap 30 that also is defined by stitching 21', similar to 21, which forms a bead 26, similar to 26, that likewise terminates short of the rounded lower end 28' of the back flap. When the flap 25 is folded over upon the body portion 36 of the hood side, such side is ready to be folded up into its idle position and a pair of snap fasteners 34 are provided which will engage complemental fastener elements 32 on the inside of the cover flap 23 to hold the side in folded position.

Fig. 1 shows the appearance of the hood sides when thus folded and fastened in idle position, and it will be noted that only the finished surface of the leather will be exposed at the side and ends. The folded hood sides are in position to be embraced by the sweater strap l1 and held fast against the bag sides while their lower ends hang in position to clear the main side pocket E8 of the bag.

By reference to Figs. 3 and 5, the manner of assembling the hood sides to form the hood will be readily understood. These sides are provided with complemental marginal interlocking fastener elements 33 which extend continuously along the side edges of the flaps 25 and 3D and about their rounded lower ends 28, 28, and across the bottom of the hood body 36, and these fastening elements are adapted to be engaged and interlocked by a sliding fastener 34 (Fig. 3) which is carried at the free upper corner of one of the back flaps 36. The flaps 30 are initially engaged by having their curved upper ends 29 drawn up and around the back of the cuff l I and passed in front of the sling strap loop l2 and drawn together over the top of the cuff in front of said loop and interlocked by the action of the slide on their fastening elements 33. This is the position in which they are shown engaged in Fig. 3, where the hook I2 is shown broken away in Fig. 5 and the strap i3 is omitted. Thus, the assembling of the hood sides is accomplished without any interference with the connections for the strap l3. When the interlocking slide 34 has been run around over and to the bottom of the front of the hood, the hood sides 36 become marginally connected throughout the hood is closed and its side cover flaps 23 stand folded up against the sides of the cuff H in the position shown in Fig. 4. A lock (not shown) may then be passed through an eye in the slide 34 and the ring 2| to lock the closed hood. If it be desired to open up the front of the hood partly so as to protect the clubs while leaving them accessible, the slide fastener 34 is run up to the curved end 28 of the front flaps 25, as shown in Fig. 7, leaving these flap portions 25 and 28 free to be folded in on each side, thus giving the hood a finished interior appearance and presenting the stiffening beads 26 at the front edges of the hood opening. In

this arrangement the lower ends of the flaps 25 are folded in between the hood sides 32 and their protecting flaps 23. The stitched beads 26, 26', not only serve to define the flaps 25 and 30 from their respective hood side bodies 36, but they also stiffen the hood to help it stand up better when in service position and they also give a neat and attractive finish to the folded hood sides, and to the exposed hood edges when partly in position, shown in Fig. 7.

In Figs. 8 and 9 I illustrate a modification of my invention in which the hood sides are not changed in design or attachment but their cover flaps 23 are omitted and in lieu thereof the snap fasteners 35 on each hood side are adapted to engage complemental fastener elements 31 applied to the hood flaps 22, so that the hood sides can be folded and held in position by these snap fasteners with their exposed interlocking fastener elements 33 lying immediately under and protected by the overhang of the bag cuff I I.

In operation, assuming the hood assembled, as shown in Fig. 5, to open it up, the fastener slide 34 is run entirely around the meeting edges of the hood sides so as to completely detach them. Each side then falls down to the position as shown in Fig. 4, except that its flaps 25 and 30 will both naturally fall inwardly against the undressed face of the hood body 36. The thus folded sides are then folded upwardly upon themselves and caught by the snap fasteners 3| under the cover flaps 23 or by fasteners 35 against the retaining fastener elements 31, as the case may be. The thus folded hood sides are then pushed down under the strap I! which holds them confined to the sides of the bag where they hang above the side level of the pocket I8 and in position where they are out of the way and inconspicuous. The reverse procedure will readily open up, interconnect and again fasten the hood sides together either wholly, as shown in Fig. 3, or partly as shown in Fig. '7.

While I have shown my invention in but two forms, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various other changes and modifications, without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are imposed by the prior art or as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim isz+ l. A golf bag having a hood composed of nor mally completely detached sides having marginal interlocking fastenings adapted to be detachably connected together by a fastener to assemble the hood, each hood side comprising a center panel attached at its upper end tothe bag side and carrying loose inwardly foldable side flaps, and means to fasten each hood side folded upwardly on itself with its side flaps lying within its center panel.

2. A golf bag having a hood formed of two completely detachable half sections provided with marginal interlocking connector elements, each hood side being attached only along the middle portion of its upper edge to a side of the bag and adapted to be folded laterally and lengthwise upon itself, means to fasten each folded hood section against its respective side of the bag when in idle position and the hood sides being adapted to be unfolded and having fastener means to marginally interlock their connector elements.

3. A golf bag according to claim 2, having a strap encircling the bag and disposed to hold the detached folded hood sides in position against the upper side portions of the bag.

4. A golf bag having a hood formed of completely detachable sides with marginal interlocking fastening and a separable interlocking slide, longitudinal spaced stiffening beads in the sides defining side flaps loose at both ends and adapted to be folded selectively either inwardly against the open hood sides when not in use or outwardly when in use to extend about the front and rear portions of the bag top into position for complernental members to be connected by said fastem'ng means, and means to hold said detached hood sides in folded position against opposite sides of the bag.

5. A golf bag according to claim 1, in which the hood sides are folded sidewise upon their respective panels and then endwise upon themselves to conceal and protect said marginal fastenings except at the free end of the folded panels, in combination with cover flaps attached to the bag and adapted to overlap the free ends of the folded panels and protect the marginal interlocking fastenings thereon.

6. A golf bag according to claim 1, in which each hood side has its side flaps defined by stitching forming out-turned beads in the material forming the hood side, which beads stop short of the free lower end of the hood side and serve as longitudinal stiffeners for the hood.

7. A golf bag having a sling strap: connection, a cuff and a hood comprising completely detachable right and left sides, each side having a relatively narrow top connecting flap, adapted to be attached under the cuff to a side of the bag top, and comprising front and rear side flaps adapted to be folded laterally inwardly upon itself, and means to fasten the hood sides, with flaps inturned, folded upwardly upon themselves, the rear flaps of each hood side being cut away at their upper ends to permit them to be joined together over the bag top in front of its sling strap connection, and fastening means to connect the marginal edges of the assembled hood sides.

8. A golf bag having a leather hood comprising completely separable right and left half portions, each having a top connecting flap attached to a side of the bag top so as to hang with its flesh side exposed, and each comprising front and rear side flaps adapted to be folded laterally inwardly upon it and then the whole folded lengthwise upon itself so as to leave only the grain side of its leather exposed, and means to fasten the hood portions folded lengthwise upon themselves.

JAMES R. BURTON. 

